Little Brother
by ChibiBoko
Summary: Poor boy....poor little boy.... Such a poor, guilt-laden little boy....
1. Flashback

A/N: IT'S ALIIVE!!! Bwahahahaha! ^_^ Yep, Little Brother is back after some serious rewriting. It's been overhauled and made over into something almost unrecognizable! Know why? Because it actually has a plot this time! ^_^ Yes, for once I know where this story is going, aren't you proud of me?  
  
Kudos to everyone who had read and reviewed the original Little Brother. Hopefully you'll like this one even better (I know I do). And yeah, this story is still gonna have little bits and pieces of shounen-ai here and there. But it's still pretty miniscule. Well, at least for now anyway. ^_^ You'll still need a magnifying glass though.  
  
And for people who don't like that kinda thing; well, maybe you should just skip this and go read a Yugi/Tea fic or something. You can flame if you really feel the urge to, but don't expect me to do anything but ignore it.   
  
Disclaimer: Why is it I always somehow manage to almost forget these things? ...Wishful thinking I guess. Well, Yugioh isn't mine, the incredibly cute bishies aren't mine (Tristan isn't mine either ^_^), but my Chibi Seto, Yugi and Yami dolls are aaallll mine! And no one can take 'em away!!  
  
//...// = Thinking, thoughts between Yami and Yugi  
/.../ = thought-talking between Yami and Yugi  
*...* = Emphasis  
~oO0@0Oo~ = Flashback   
  
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
~oO0@0Oo~  
  
"Got it, grandpa!" The small teenager snagged the phone off its cradle. "Hello, Turtle Game Shop...Kaiba?" Yugi's face lit up in a smile. "How are you? I haven't seen you in school lately."  
  
"Yeah, I know. Things have been crazy with the company." Kaiba shifted the phone to his other ear. "Anyway, the reason I'm calling is because I want to ask if you would mind taking Mokuba to that carnival that's happening this weekend."  
  
"Hey, no fair big brother! You're making it sound like a chore!" Mokuba pouted. "Gimme the phone!" He jumped up and down trying to grab the thing out of Seto's hand.  
  
Seto merely tilted his head and raised his arm a bit to stay out of Mokuba's reach. "Make up your mind," he playfully scolded his little brother, "you told me to call him because you were afraid he'd say no to you -although I can't imagine what makes you think he'd say yes to me."  
  
Yugi blinked over on his end of the line. "Of course I don't mind going with him, Kaiba. But, uh...why are you asking me?"  
  
Seto sighed into the phone, still dodging the bouncing Mokuba. "I have this big business deal to go through this weekend, so I won't be able to take him myself. And he's really been looking forward to going, so I'd hate to disappoint him by his missing it."  
  
"Uh, but Kaiba, won't he be disappointed if you miss it?" The violet-eyed boy tried to gently clue the elder Kaiba in. He knew how Mokuba had been missing his brother.  
  
"Why? He'll be there."  
  
It was Yugi's turn to sigh. "Nevermind Kaiba. When would be a good day for us to go?"  
  
"Um, hang on." Kaiba mouthed 'Saturday?' to his now calmed-down brother, who nodded excitedly. "...How's Saturday for you, Yugi?"  
  
"I'm free all that day."  
  
"Good." Seto was visibly relieved. "Oh, and I'm buying the tickets, so if you want you can invite those friends of yours too."  
  
Yugi beamed into the phone. "Really, Kaiba? That's really great of you! I'll phone them tonight about that. So where should we all meet? Do you want us to pick Mokuba up?"  
  
Pressing the mouth of the phone into his shoulder, he turned to Mokuba, who had been eavesdropping. "Well?"  
  
The younger Kaiba shook his head. "Could I be dropped off at the Game Shop and we could walk from there?" He asked. "Yugi told me his grandpa's getting some new stuff in and I wanna see it!"  
  
Seto smiled. "Of course. If it's okay with Yugi..." He turned back to the phone. "Actually Yugi, Mokuba wants to be dropped off at your place so he can check out some new stuff at your Grandfather's store. He wants to know if it's okay if you all walk from there, since it's not too far."  
  
"Sure, that's fine." Yugi scribbled a note onto a post-it pad laying by the phone. "So what time does he want to be here?"  
  
Seto laughed. "Knowing him, before the sun's even up-" He got cut off by a sudden mouthful of couch cushion. Pulling the offending item off his face he mock-glared at the culprit, who just sat there grinning unrepentantly. "Well, probably around eleven or so; definitely before lunch. He wouldn't be able to hold out longer than that." This time he easily dodged the cushion-turned-missile directed his way.   
  
"Fine by me," Yugi jotted that down too. "Hey, Kaiba. Maybe if you manage to wrap that business deal up early you could meet up with us at the carnival; I know Mokuba would love to have you there with him." Okay, he was one step short of begging here, but hey, it was for Mokuba.  
  
"Maybe, but I wouldn't count on it." Kaiba said shortly. "If that's everything Yugi, I need to be going now."  
  
"Uh, sure Kaiba. I think that's everything. I'll see you in school on Monday then, huh?"  
  
"Yeah, sure. See you." Kaiba finished as he put the phone back in its cradle. Turning to face Mokuba, he said, "Well, it's all set. Yugi's going to call his friends tonight to see if they'll go with the two of you. I imagine they will."  
  
"Thank you, big brother!" Mokuba pounced on Seto in a hug. He looked up at him. "Are you *sure* you can't come with us? You could cancel that meeting, or even just postpone it till Sunday." the younger Kaiba pleaded.  
  
But Seto shook his head. "Sorry, little brother. This meeting's too important to put off. I wish I could."  
  
Mokuba pulled away, "Well, maybe you'll get done early like Yugi said; then you could meet us there!" He tried to look cheerful at this, but it didn't quite reach his eyes. He knew it wasn't too likely.  
  
"Yeah, maybe."   
  
~oO0@0Oo~  
  
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A/N: Yeah, I know. This chapter is just one big flashback. But it helps to set the scene of the story. 


	2. Happenstance

A/N: AAARRRGGGH!! I HATE WHEN THIS HAPPENS!!   
  
-_-* I was trying to erase chapter two because it was only additional details to a challenge I issued a while back. Since it's pretty redundant reading now I thought I'd erase it and neaten up the story a bit so people wouldn't have to skip a chapter to find out what happens next. BUT when I erased chapter two in edit chapter in my file here, when I went to check my story I found that it had erased CHAPTER THREE!!   
  
*insert favourite curse --here--*  
  
So now I had to erase everything BUT chapter one and re-upload it all over again. Sorry that this is such a pain in the ass. Today's not a good computer day for me.  
  
On the bright side though, I've got more ideas for the next chappie. I actually figured out how to start it! I've had such terrible writer's block lately. Now I've just gotta figure out the best way to end the chappie and I'm set! ^_^  
  
DISCLAIMER: *glomps Seto* I don't own Yugioh, but I DO own the plot twists in this thing, so I'm giving Seto what comfort I can. I figure it's the least I can do for what I'm putting him through. ...Poor baby. *snifflesniffle*  
  
Oh yeah! There's a bit more shounen-ai happening now. ^_^ Like you're surprised, right? What else did you expect from me, really? *grin*   
  
~oO0@0Oo~ = flashbacks  
/ ... / = thoughts  
*...* = emphasis  
  
=============================================================================  
  
Little Brother   
Chapter Two  
  
  
/I should be...../  
  
The lanky teen sank to his knees in the newly dug-up, rain-soaked earth. The limp white rose slipped from his fingers as he clutched the marker before him like a lifeline. Sobs that he didn't dare let out wracked his throat until he choked.  
  
"Oh, god.." Kaiba moaned. "..I can't take this. I can't-"  
  
"Kaiba?"  
  
Pivoting around on one knee Seto looked up -a relatively short distance, it must be admitted- into Yugi Motou's worried eyes.  
  
"What do you want here Yugi?" His voice was acid, angry that he was caught in such weakness.  
  
Yugi blinked. "Actually, I-I came to visit Mokuba." He holds up a handful of sunflowers that were only slightly less limp than the white rose currently being ground into the mud by Seto's knee.   
  
Kaiba stared at the plants as if he'd never seen them before. Or hadn't seen them in a long time...  
  
  
~oO0@0Oo~  
  
"Aren't they pretty, big brother?"   
  
A childish hand shoving a yellow-faced flower into his face.  
  
"...I guess."   
  
Disinterest.  
  
"I wanna get a whole bunch and plant them right under my window, so when I wake up and look outside I'll always be able to see them!"   
  
The excitement almost poured out of that young voice.  
  
"They grow too tall; in a while it'd be too dark for you to see around your room, much less be able to see outside."   
  
A grin appeared, foreign on such a solemn face.   
  
"..So I can't get them?"   
  
Watery eyes looked up.   
  
Sigh.   
  
"I didn't say that..."  
  
~oO0@0Oo~  
  
  
Seto shook his head free of the past. /I hate being clung to, even if it's only by memories./ He glanced over at the incriminating marker. /But I guess...that's all I have worth having now./ He closed his eyes against the anguish that thought brought from the recesses of his mind. He searched for a distraction, anything to stop the flood of grief.  
  
It came in the small hand settling on his shoulder as soft as a whisper.  
  
"Kaiba?" Yugi asked hesitantly as he felt the other teen tense beneath his hand. "A-are these alright? I heard that he liked them, so I.." The last few words died in his mouth. /What am I doing here?/ He agonized.  
  
"They were his favourite."  
  
"Huh?" Yugi's thoughts focussed outside of himself again.  
  
Kaiba gestured at Yugi's hand. "Sunflowers. They were his favourite." He said shortly.  
  
"Oh." Yugi fidgeted with them while an awkward silence descended between the two boys.  
  
Kaiba let his gaze settle on the other boy as his thoughts wandered an inevitable path. /..He's upset. Why?/ He winced, berating himself. /Why else, moron? Why else *would* he come here? To keep you company, perhaps?/   
  
/...Not that I'd particularily mind./  
  
He fought down a guilty blush. /Stop. It. Right. There. Don't think like that. You *can't* think like that. He certainly doesn't. How could he, when you're no better than a.../   
  
Damn though. He *had* wanted a distraction. Gods, what a distraction. /Well,/ he mentally shrugged, /take what you're given, I guess./  
  
"Kaiba?"  
  
"..."   
  
"Kaiba?" Yugi was tempted to shake his shoulder. Was he in some sort of late-stage shock or something? He looked so dazed... Guilt left a dark stain in Yugi. /I should go, but first.../  
  
"...Seto?" He tried again.  
  
Blue eyes snapped abruptly back to his violet ones. "Hm?"  
  
Yugi hesitated again. His voice sounded so tired, almost dead. /Kaiba wouldn't...right? Right?/  
  
"I-I.."  
  
He looked down at his feet. /Come on. You *have* to do this. Just say the words, leave the flowers, and walk away./  
  
/Except.../  
  
Taking a steadying breath, he plunged on. "Kaiba, I'm..sorry. For everything." He couldn't bring himself to look at the other. "I-it's my fault. All of it," he whispered, the tears that had been swimming in his eyes escaping down his face. "I s-should've-"  
  
"Yugi." Kaiba cut him off sharply. Standing up quickly, ignoring the mud stains on his pants, he looked down into Yugi's tear-streaked face. "Yugi," He let his voice soften a fraction, "If anyone's to blame for all of this, it's me."  
  
"But Kaiba-"  
  
Seto turned his back to him, facing the marker. He didn't want Yugi to see how much this was costing him, to admit weakness to someone other than those inner voices that never ceased to haunt him. Clenching his fists against the sides of his trenchcoat, he closed his eyes against the sight before him.  
  
"Yugi, there aren't any buts. Mokuba was my little brother. The one who was my responsibility to protect. The one I was to keep from getting hurt by anything." He chuckled humorlessly, running a tired hand through his hair. "And look where he is now. Where everyone else important in my life is. Mother, Father..."  
  
He snuck a glance over his shoulder. /Well, almost everyone important./ He amended. He looked back at the marker, then further down to the ground, where the rose was crushed. /Gods, Mokuba. How is it I screw up everything that matters in my life?/ He wondered bleakly.  
  
"I'm so, so sorry." Yugi choked through his sobs.  
  
Kaiba whirled around to be faced with a weeping angel. /I didn't say that, did I? Oh *damn*./ He tried desperately to think of a way to stop Yugi's tears, but his mind had been frozen for weeks now.   
  
"Yugi, don't.."  
  
But the smaller boy shook his head. "I-it's stil-l my f-fault. I w-was there, I coul-ld've, I s-should'v-ve.." He tried to continue, but fighting the words past his tears only caused the incessant hiccups to render him breathless.  
  
Kaiba could only look on at the sorrowful hikari. /He's as grieved as I am./ He realized.  
  
His thoughts were cut off abruptly by a handful of limp sunflowers shoved into his arms. Looking up in surprise all he could see was the rapidly retreating back of the sobbing boy.  
  
/Yugi.../  
  
*Now* the tears slipped past his guard, seeping down his face, blending in with the raindrops as they fell to the ground below and landed on mud-stained petals, the last remnants of a rose.  
  
"oh yugi..."  
  
  
===============================================================================  
  
A/N: Soooo, how was it? *peeks out from behind Mokuba's marker* Wanna kill me for making Yugi cry?   
  
Again, sorry for getting everyone's hopes up that the new chapter was up. ^_^;; It'll be up soon, promise! If all goes well it should be sometime next week at the latest.  
  
^_^;; Of course, feedback would be a great help in getting me off my lazy ass. 


	3. Fading

Okay, now this is just stupid late. *cries* Sorry everyone! I just got moved to full-time at work, so I have even less time now! Don't worry though; I'm going to work on getting a new chapter out a lot more often, unless I get blocked again. Which shouldn't happen since everything's got itself pretty much resolved in my head.  
  
And sorry for those few hopefuls out there; this is STILL shounen-ai, and will be to the end!! *insert mad cackle --here--*  
  
Yami R: There definitely won't be any more delays now that her playstation's gone. ^_^  
  
A/N: *pouties* Yeah, yeah. For once, Yami R carried through on one of her threats and chucked out my PS2. ^_^ But no worries; it landed on a pile of raked-up leaves, so I just had to brush it off a bit.  
  
Yami R: *scowls*  
  
DISCLAIMER: Damn, almost got away with forgetting this again. *Sigh* I...*hesitates*...I-I d-don't....*runs off in tears* Yami, you say it!  
  
Yami R: She's in denial, don't mind her. ChibiBoko doesn't and never will (thank god) own Yugioh or any of its characters. She only borrows the bishies to act out her fantasies.  
  
A/N: You make that sound bad. *pouties*  
  
Okays, little different for this chapter:  
  
/.../ thoughts,   
\...\ Yugi to Yami  
\\...\\ Yami to Yugi  
*...* Emphasis  
--....-- past scene inserted  
* * * * scene change  
~oO0@0Oo~ Flashbacks  
  
*sigh* the sad part is, I'm probably gonna have to refer back up here myself as I'm writing this, what with all those changes...-_-  
  
----------------------------------------------  
  
Little Brother  
  
Chapter Three  
by ChibiBoko  
  
  
Yami poked his head into the kitchen hopefully. The pristine surfaces of the counters and table were spotless and untouched.   
  
/Damn, he still hasn't come down..../ His face dropped as he pulled his head back from around the corner. /I don't suppose it would be too much to ask for if he.../  
  
He poked his head into the living room this time. No TV commercials blared obnoxiously to greet him, no couch potatoes lulled asleep from droning voices emanating from the unusually dark screen could be seen.  
  
Yami sighed as he trudged upstairs to Yugi's room. /Maybe he's having a rest, god knows he hasn't had much of it lately./   
  
For himself, Yami had barely slept at all since the accident. Yugi had been stricken with nightmares ever since that day; it was a rare night when he didn't wake up either screaming or in tears. Yami stayed by his side, holding the smaller one close, watching him as he slept fitfully to catch any nightmares before they truly began.   
  
He rubbed his face as he crept down the hallway. Yugi had been getting even worse ever since his trip to the cemetery and his run-in with Kaiba. Yami would've gone with him, but Yugi insisted on him getting at least *some* sleep. He smiled ruefully, /And here I thought I got away with him not noticing.../  
  
/..As if anything really slipped by Yugi. Especially if it concerned his friends.../  
  
Yami let his mind drift back to that incident involving Ryou and Joey. Now that had been amusing. He smiled.  
  
Silently entering and closing the door behind him, Yami first looked to the bed. Finding it sadly neat and empty, he eyed the small hunched figure on the windowsill, watching the rain. Or perhaps nothing at all. It was getting harder and harder for Yami to tell.  
  
"The others were just here."  
  
"..."  
  
Yami crossed his arms. "Everyone's worried about you, Yugi. What happened at the cemetery? Did Kaiba do anything to you?" He asked angrily. "As if you weren't bad enough before, but for him to go and make it *worse*.."  
  
"He didn't do anything, Yami." Yugi said quietly, never turning from his reflection.  
  
"Something happened though. You came home in tears that day, aibou." Yami crossed the distance between them to rest a hand on Yugi's shoulder. "..Why won't you tell me, Yugi?" He said gently. "You know you can tell me anything, that if there's anything I can do...."  
  
Yugi bowed his head, resting it on his knees. "Nothing happened, Yami. You shouldn't.." He swallowed, face still hidden from the other. "You shouldn't.. worry about me."   
  
Yami kneeled down so he was looking up at him. "Of course I should. The Yugi I know has been deteriorating before my eyes in the past few weeks. Tell me what there isn't to worry about." He challenged.  
  
Yugi just looked down at him sadly.  
  
Yami sighed, getting to his feet. "Your grandfather should be home soon." He ran a hand through his hair. "Are you hungry at all?"  
  
Yugi shook his head silently, turning back to the window.  
  
Yami's heart tore anew at the sight Yugi made. "..I'll bring something up later then, just in case." So saying, he quietly retreated to the safety of downstairs.  
  
He heard the front door announce Yugi's grandpa's entry. "I'm home!" The older man greeted him cheerfully, his arms precariously overflowing with groceries which Yami hastened to help him with.  
  
"Expecting Joey?" Yami raised an eyebrow as he helped pack them into the kitchen. "I don't think he's coming for dinner; he didn't say anything about it when he was here a little while ago."  
  
Grandpa chuckled. "No, no. I bought all this for Yugi; at least *something* in here should tempt his appetite."  
  
Yami eyed the now bulging fridge. "Well, if it doesn't work, you could always have a dinner party.."  
  
The old man smiled as he shooed Yami out of the kitchen so he could get working on dinner.   
  
Yami trudged into the living room to collapse ungainly on the couch. He grimaced as he groped around underneath him for the remote he accidentally sat on and flipped on the TV.   
  
/News. News. Seen it. Boring./ Yami surfed through the channels, trying to find something that would hold his attention. /God, how can anyone stand that?/ He hurriedly flipped the channel away from the overdramatic soap opera.  
  
/Hmph, they're still airing that documentary on the Kaiba's.../ Yami switched the channel immediately. /...It's not like any of it's actually *accurate*../  
  
He flipped the TV off with a sigh of disgust. He wondered if Yugi had caught the worry flowing through his head. Hopefully not, the boy didn't need guilt added to grief.  
  
/Unlikely that he'd pick up on it, though./ Yugi had closed off all links between them, not letting anything get in, and not letting anything out.  
  
/I don't know which is worse, either...Everyone mourns in their own way, I know; but this, this is beyond that. It's almost a madness.../  
  
Yami could still remember the last time he had heard or felt anything through their bond, when Yugi's soul screamed out to him...  
  
~oO0@0Oo~  
  
Fear. Fear. FEAR.  
  
Yami was literally sweating in it as Yugi's panicked mind screeched into his. He found himself sprinting back down the street to where they had separated; Yugi and Mokuba going to Kaiba's office to drag him along with them, him and the others going ahead.   
  
\\Yugi, YUGI!..\\ He desperately tried to break through the barrier of panic that blocked him from getting through to the smaller boy. "God, no, no nono nononono..."  
  
  
--"What's wrong, Mokuba?"   
  
"..."  
  
"C'mon, you can tell us."   
  
"I-I...don't feel good."  
  
Blink. "Huh?" A forearm brushed against the boy's forehead. "...No fever." Tea's voice tinged with concern. "Is your stomach upset or something?"  
  
The dark-headed kid shook his head silently.  
  
Yugi studied him for a moment. "It's not the same with us, is it?"  
  
Mokuba's head shot up. "Wha? N-no! It's not that.."  
  
"It's not that you don't want to go with us," Yugi nodded, "But, your brother isn't here. Right?"  
  
The younger boy looked down at his untied sneaker. "I'm sorry..."  
  
Ryou patted his shoulder. "Hey, don't be. There's nothing to be sorry about."  
  
"Yeah, that's right!" Joey added in.  
  
Yami looked over at Yugi, who had been silent. \\Aibou..?\\  
  
Yugi looked over at him and smiled reassuringly. \I think I can fix this..\  
  
Now Yami looked worried. \\What are you..\\  
  
"I've got an idea, Mokuba..." Yugi told the boy.--  
  
  
//Stupid, stupid, so STUPID. Letting them go off alone like that..//   
  
Yami's imagination wasn't being kind to him. Yugi's mental screams had faded, leaving the pharaoh with a million scenarios flitting past his minds eye of what could've happened as he skidded around the corner...  
  
  
--Mokuba was almost bouncing as he and Yugi took off down the street toward Kaiba Corp.  
  
"We'll catch up, don't worry!" Yugi waved.  
  
"Yah! Watch out, big brother, we're coming ta get yooouuu!" Mokuba practically sang. Joey laughed at their antics as they disappeared around a corner.  
  
"Those two are gonna need all the luck in existence to get Kaiba to ditch work." He shook his head.  
  
Ryou nodded ruefully. "It's worth a try though, even if it doesn't work. You saw Mokuba's face when Yugi suggested it."  
  
"Yeah, how could anyone turn that down, even his brother?" Tea piped up as they walked along.  
  
Yami just walked along silently trying to ignore the ache in his gut, telling himself that he was being ridiculous; Yugi had managed to survive growing up without him, he can survive a half-hour or so now.  
  
/I just wish I could get rid of this feeling.../--  
  
* * * *  
  
Yami leaned against the wall across from the closed door. It was ominously quiet in there. Even he couldn't hear anything.  
  
He looked down at his hikari sitting on the floor beside him, huddled against himself with his knees drawn up to his chest. He hadn't taken his eyes off the door since they got there.  
  
Joey paced restlessly up and down the hallway, Ryou glancing at him worriedly from time to time from his post beside the door.  
  
Tea had sat down on the other side of the door, sobbing quietly.  
  
Their heads snapped up as the doctor came out. Yami's stomach turned quietly at the solemnity in the man's face.  
  
"I'm sorry, but..."  
  
Tea couldn't stand to hear anymore and broke away crying down the hall. Joey   
clutched Ryou close to him like a plushie, as if trying to will the nightmare away.  
  
Yugi shot up from the floor. "But..what? He c-can't-"  
  
The doctor looked away.  
  
Yugi was white and shaking as Yami pulled him into a gentle hug.  
  
"Damn drunks," Joey whispered from Ryou's hair. "Even my old man never had the balls to get behind the wheel..."  
  
"Is there anyone you need to call?" The doctor asked Yami, since he was obviously the most coherent one there. But not by much.  
  
The pharaoh paled as he rubbed Yugi's back. "Oh, god." He nodded his head slowly.  
  
The MD gave him a sympathetic look. "Would you care to give me the number? Arrangements will have to be made for the..boy."  
  
Yami recited Seto Kaiba's cell number dully as the doctor wrote it down. The doctor shook his head as he walked away.  
  
"I-i..i'm..s-sor.."  
  
Yami hugged Yugi closer. "Shhh, I know. We know. There wasn't anything you could do."  
  
Yugi struggled with his voice. "B-but I-i, I c-could'v-ve-"  
  
"None of that, Yugi." Ryou interrupted tightly, looking up from Joey's shoulder. "Accidents are just that; accidents. Yami is right, there really wasn't anything you could have done to..change it. Nothing." His eyes welled up again.  
  
Yugi turned back into Yami's shoulder and bawled.  
  
~oO0@0Oo~  
  
Distantly he heard the phone ringing. "Yami, could you please get that? My hands are full!" Grandpa yelled from the kitchen.  
  
Heaving himself off the couch, Yami crossed the room to retrieve the cordless. "Hello?"  
  
"Yami?" A tired voice greeted his ears.  
  
------------------------------------------------------  
  
Evil cliffhangers, evil me. ^_^ I needed to end it there though.   
  
Next chapter, "The Yugi I know", and the return of Seto's POV!! I missed the poor guy...  
  
I just had to put the documentary thing in there. Has anyone else noticed that the TV gets flooded with the things whenever someone famous dies unnaturally?  
  
So please review! I love it when people tell me what they think of my work! ^_^  
  
Yami R: Not to mention that it feeds poor, neglected, starving muses...T_T  
  
That a hint?  
  
Yami R: GIMME FOOOODD! @_@  
  
-_- By the way, can anyone tell me how I can get italics to show up on this damn thing? It's really starting to frustrate me. 


	4. The Yugi I Know

~^o^~:SETO'S BACK!!!! Yep. So whatcha think of the title? It'll make more sense further into the story, I think...

Oh yeah, you should probably tiptoe around here while reading; poor Yami R's been overworked again trying to help me grind out extra stuff for this chapter, so she's sleeping now. ^_^;; I kinda wanted it to be longer since it's so late...again.

Ugh, sleep deprivation and writer's block all by themselves are a pain in the ass to work around, but when they team up on you...*shakes head wearily*

Hey, guess what? I'm on SIX!...Count em, SIX people's favourites list! ^____^ Thank you Katmon Ichijouji, Bester of Death, maru-chan, Sadira-Black, Shadowwolfgirl12, and Eberryl!! I'm so glad you like this so much! 

And a very special kudos goes out to Katya for teaching me in the ways of italics of ffnet! ^_^ *bows to Katya* arigatou, sensei... 

DISCLAIMER: 

Yami R: *rubs eyes sleepily* I've been assigned to doing this pretty much permanently, 'cause ChibiBoko prefers living in her own little world. She doesn't own anything. Not Yugioh, not the characters. Natta. Now quit reading this drivel and get on with the story and let me sleep! *stomps off back to bed*

~00~: *Sighs* A little different _again_ for this chapter...hopefully I'll be sticking with this....

~oO0@0Oo~ =flashback

/......../ =Yugi to Yami

//......// =Yami to Yugi

__

Italics =used for emphasis, and also for normal, non-yami-to-hikari-type thoughts. 

------ = think of it as a ...POV change, scene change thingy. Yeah.

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Little Brother

Chapter Four- _The Yugi I Know_

by ChibiBoko

Seto Kaiba decided he really hated telephones.

He scowled as he angrily punched the number, his mind drifting back to just that morning...

~oO0@0Oo~

"What?" The flat monotone shot from his mouth as his eyes narrowed in disbelief.

The teacher stuffily adjusted his glasses on his beaky nose. "As I believe I stated clearly enough before, Mr. Kaiba, I'm going to have to fail you if you don't start catching up on your assignments." Small eyes peered over the rims of the glasses. "Now, I understand that you've been going through some...difficulties, but you need to focus now more than ever in spite of that. Or perhaps because of that."

Seto shot up from his chair in outrage. "You expect me to just go on with my life like _nothing's_ happened? That my _little brother_ wasn't practically torn apart by a drunken _idiot_ who got behind the wheel when he shouldn't have? That-"

The older man sighed as he waved the ranting brunette back into his seat. "That's not what I meant young man, and you are mistaken for taking it that way. I was saying that if you allow yourself to wallow in a particular point in time you'll lose even more than you already have."

Seto snorted as he angrily sank back into the hard-backed chair. "That's not possible."

The teacher pinched the bridge of his nose as he tried to get back to the point of this meeting. "Be that as it may, you must make up those assignments. Now, we did one particular project last week where...."

~oO0@0Oo~

"I can't believe this.." Impatient fingers were forced to re-dial the unfamiliar phone number as he got a wrong number the first time around. 

He had been an inch away from strangling that pompous member of the faculty as he droned on through an almost comically long list of work Kaiba needed to catch up on. Out of sheer desperation he had pleaded to 'business details' concerning his brother and asked to take the rest of the list home instead.

Good thing he did; as it was, he seriously considered turning the car around and going back to act on his strangling fantasy (with perhaps a bit of maiming thrown in as well) once he got to a certain listed "group project" that he was supposed to have been in on.

__

Damn damn damn damn DAMN! Kaiba gritted his teeth. _I don't _dare_ try calling Ryou's for the details on what they chose to work on with _Joey_ being there; he'd never let me forget about needing their help. And I don't know that, _he shudders,_ that.._cheerleader's_ phone number....nor do I really want to.._

Guess I'm stuck with this. He rolled his eyes. "Yeah, I'm sure he'll be tripping over himself to help me out after that cemetery incident." He sighed and crossed his fingers that Yugi wouldn't pick up the phone.

"Hello?"

__

Yami. Just wonderful. Truthfully, Kaiba never really got the chance to know him outside of duels, as the puzzle spirit had only managed to manifest into a body of his own outside the puzzle a short time ago. Actually, it was just a little while before....

He shook his head angrily at himself. _Yeah, very good way of staying stable like the nice doctors told you to, Seto._ Kaiba sarcastically chided himself. "Yami?" _Damn, but that sounded pathetic. Gotta work on this overtiredness...or at least on keeping it out of my voice._

"Kaiba?!" _Surprise, surprise._ Kaiba thought sardonically. but he wasn't up to confrontation just now.

"Is Yugi there?" He said more than asked.

He felt the hesitance over the line. "....Not..really, no. What do you want?"

__

'Not really'? What's that_ mean?_ Seto frowned. "I need to speak with him. It's...to do with some schoolwork." He hedged, reluctant to inform the dark one of even that much. "I've been trying to catch up on what I've missed, but I need some information from him on some group project he did with the others a while ago."

"The one on ancient architecture?" He could practically _hear_ Yami blinking in surprise. "You were supposed to be in on that?"

Kaiba grit his teeth. They were starting to get sore from all the mistreatment. "Yes. But things happened. Look, is Yugi there or not? I hate having to ask_ him_ as it is; I don't want to have to think about having to ask one of the others."

"I think I understand; Joey would never let you hear the end of it." Was there sympathy in his voice? No, couldn't be. Kaiba heard Yami sigh over the phone. "Yugi hasn't been...well. He's in his room right now, but I don't think he's up for conversation. I can ask him about the project for you, though."

"Alright." Now Seto was getting a little suspicous._ Why's he being so helpful? I doubt he's usually like this. Unless...._ His memory drifted back to all the times Yugi got in over his head. He could remember Yami always being there, pulling him out of it. _...He's really worried about him._

Kaiba felt something unidentifiable silently gnaw at him. He shook it off irritably. "...go talk to him." He heard Yami say as he came back to the here and now. His ears picked up the sound of footsteps walking off from the other side of the line.

Seto waited impatiently, fidgeting with the messy papers on the desk in his home office until he heard Yami's voice return on the phone.

"I've got everything you need." Kaiba could hear him practically biting off the words. _Either he's really pissed off or really worried. _

...And somehow I can't imagine him getting angry at Yugi.

"I'll be over there to drop it off." His eyes widened and a retort was about to slip past his tongue, but it was halted by the abrupt dial-tone suddenly abusing his ear. Setting the phone back in it's cradle, he sat back in his swivel-chair and stared at it.

__

Hell....Seto blinked. _What's he doing? Coming _here? _Right now?!_ His head sank into his hands. _What's he up to now? _

He rubbed his face tiredly as his tried to get his scrambled thoughts in order. Glancing at the wall clock, he figured it'd take Yami at least an hour to get here, unless.....

He shuddered in remembrance._ God, please let him not be driving... _He _still_ couldn't quite figure out how he had gotten roped into helping the strange puzzle entity with adapting to modern civilization. He vaguely remembered adorable purple puppy eyes gazing up at him brimming over with pleading. _Crap...I just hope Yugi never fully realizes how powerful puppy eyes really are. Or we could _all_ be in big trouble._

Loud metallic roaring followed by a heart-stopping tearing noise snapped him back to the present. Kaiba sighed and thudded his head against the desk._ He drove..._

Levering out of the chair, he stalked wearily down the hallway towards the already impatient pounding on the front door. Yanking it open Kaiba caught the fist that was coming down to pound again on the door.

"What are you doing?" He raised an eyebrow, letting go of Yami's hand.

Yami adjusted his hold on the massive bundle of papers underneath one arm. "Bringing you what you need." He snorted, pushing past the tall brunette into the house. "Where do you want these? They're heavy." As if to add to the point, half the papers decided to slowly slip backwards from the pharaoh's grip towards freedom. 

Kaiba quickly scooped them up before they could make introductions with the hall floor. _What game are you playing now?_ He wondered. "Third entrance to the left; the living room's there." 

A maid came up to politely ask if there was anything he and his guest wanted. Seto shook his head absently. "We're fine; but have something made up for when-" He winced and cut himself off. "...Never mind. Just go back to what you were doing." He strode off down the hallway towards the living room. 

He ignored the strange look he knew Yami was giving him. He could feel it boring into the back of his neck. _I just had to slip up when he was around. Now watch him try to find a way to ask about it._ He smirked humorlessly at himself.

Actually, Yami managed to restrain himself until they'd dropped the papers on the coffee table, not caring that some slid messily onto the floor.

"Have you seen someone about that?" _Okay,_ Kaiba decided, _ancient ex-pharaoh's weren't most likely known for their tact_.

"Frequently." He grimaced as he turned to face his rival.

Was it his imagination, or did Yami look....almost sympathetic? Seto shook his head. _Great, now I'm hallucinating. Just wonderful._

"You're wondering why I bothered coming, aren't you?" Yami said surprisingly gently.

Kaiba raised an eyebrow. "The thought had crossed my mind. Although my first initial guess was so you'd have an excuse to get on the road again." He smirked. "You're an addict."

Yami shrugged, allowing himself to be diverted from dangerous territory. "You sounded desperate enough on the phone for me to be able to deem it an emergency."  
  
"What?! I'd never-"

Yami grinned smugly. "Oh, so you really _didn't_ need me to come over here?" He playfully buffed his nails against his shirt and studied them. "I suppose you could've called Ryou and Joey.."

Seto sulked. "I hate you."

"I know." Ancient eyes glinted mischieviously at him. Abruptly he turned towards the coffee table groaning under its enormous burden. "I couldn't figure out what information you'd need and what you wouldn't, so I just brought it all."

Kaiba stared at the pile in disbelief. "That's all of it?"

"Well, what I could carry. The other half's in the trunk of the car." Red eyes turned back to him. "But I think that can wait until later." Yami sank comfortably onto the couch and nodded towards Kaiba to sit too. "Like I said, you must be wondering-"

"-About why you're here." Kaiba grimaced as he flopped back into the recliner. "Just guessing mind you, but it's about Yugi, isn't it."

Yami nodded, biting his lip as he stared morosely at the carpet.

Fingers tapping impatiently against the armrest, Kaiba waited for Yami to start. "Well?"

"...I don't remember when he actually started...slipping away." The red-eyed boy said. "All I can recall is that he's been steadily declining since Mokuba...well, you know."

Seto nodded. 

"He won't eat, he doesn't seem to be able to sleep, he won't talk to _anyone,_ not even his grandfather or me." Vague hurt reflected in Yami's eyes. "He's even cut off our link." He looked seemingly entranced by his folded hands, as he wouldn't look at the brunette.

Kaiba's eyebrow rose. "How could he manage to do that? I thought you were the expert on the millenium item power stuff."

"If I knew that I could re-establish it without a second thought." Yami snapped. "But somehow he's blocked me completely from his thoughts. He's even locked his_ soul room!_" This time the indignation couldn't hide itself from the millionaire.

Kaiba frowned thoughtfully. "He goes in there a lot lately?"

"..Yes. I wish I knew why." His eyes grew confused. "I don't understand. It's almost like he's hiding."

"From what?"

"Everything."

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He blinked dazedly. Was it raining again? He heard a vague pattering from far off...

....no. Just the voices. Again.

Sighing quietly he got up and walked disconsolately across to the bathroom. There was a time when he was grateful for the voices, they kept him company; sort of. He always felt less alone growing up, when they were around.

"What...did..?" He stared disgustingly at himself. Turning away, he shook his head. "...I can't.."

"...i.."

They were uglier now. Jealous. He didn't listen to them anymore. 

No, he had someone _else_ to listen to. The intruder. Unwelcome to them. 

The intruder took away their listener.

But now....

Oh but _now_....

"...don' wanna...listen.."

But he will...

He can't hear anyone else now.

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~00~: Whoo! This is getting creepier and creepier everytime I work on this. *shivers*

*Sigh* I really had a hard time ending this chapter. I tried and tried to end it somehow in Kaiba's POV, but each ending just kept getting sappier and cheesier by the paragraph. So I changed POV's as a drastic measure. ^_^ Take a wild guess who's it is.

~00~: Hmm....*ponderponder*

Yami R: *sighs* What now? And why don't I like that look?...

~00~: I was just wondering if I should do some side stories for this. You know; stuff that sorta ties into this whole story arc, but doesn't really fit into the main story. 

Yami R: Eh? There's stuff like that in there? And I missed it?!! *snatches script and scans it*

~00~: Sigh...*turns to readers* Well, what do _you_ think about me writing some side stories? Do you even know about the stuff that I'm referring to here? -_- I hope so...it'd make all my hard work worthwhile..*sniffle*

Yami R: I think I get it now.

~00~: Oh?

Yami R: Side stories = more work for me. Right?

~00;;~: ...Pretty much, yeah.

Yami R: Sigh...-_-. Well, hopefully readers will be wonderful and leave me some reviews to feed on so I have the energy for more brainstorming. I'm gonna need it. *starts walking off* Geez, now there's this along with chapter five of LB and that FFX prize thing, plus that challenge from ZellDincht.....

~^^~;;: Ehehe...Don't mind her, her mind wanders sometimes. Usually in the opposite direction of where she's going. So it takes awhile to find it once she's lost it. 

Yami R: *whimpers and looks under the bed* Not here either!

~00~: *Sigh*....If Yugi couldn't find his candy cane under there, I doubt we'd find your mind there eith-

Yami R: Oh nevermind. Found it! ^_^ *pulls it out from where it was congregating with the plot bunnies*

~00~: *shakes head* This is the third time this week. Why am I nervous? -_-


	5. Muffled Voices

DISCLAIMER: Yami R: -_-;; No, ChibiBoko is _not_ a talented Japanese genius (far from it), she happens to be a yaoi-obsessed Canadian girl, thank you.

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Little Brother Chapter Five -

Muffled Voices

by ChibiBoko

Yugi gazed blankly out at the rain as he leaned his cheek against the window-glass. Quiet mumbling from the back of his head nattered at him. Closing his eyes, he sank past the light spots that danced across his eyelids, trying to force the muttering into coherent words he could understand.

They were talking about him again. That much he could figure out from the tone of it all.

Through the haze of unreality swirling about his senses, his hearing distantly noted the bedroom door quietly opening. Returning to the outside world, he opened his eyes to his reflection in the glass.

He vaguely heard someone speaking, but it was if they were covered in cotton, so muffled was it. No wait, the cotton was all around _him_, a complete barrier of it, keeping everything out.

__

...Fine with me. I think.. I like it this way..

He felt his shoulder being jarred, but he couldn't turn to see by who. His eyes were pinned by his reflected gaze. 

They were boring into him, knowing, scalding at all his thoughts. Edges of memories caught on fire, casting a glow on everything, making it all-

__

Red...

Blue-gray looking up at him mischieviously from under black bangs, white smirk glinting.

red..

Laughter coloured gold by innocence making his face burn-

...r-ed...

..So red! I can't believe it Yugi!" Mokuba gibed him, giggling. "I'm starting to think it's your favourite colour, instead of-"

"H-hey!" Yugi protested. He tried to glare at the laughing boy beside him as they walked past people that were headed to the carnival.

Mokuba glanced at him slyly.

__

...r-e-d.....

"I think I'll..."

"What?" Panic. "NO! Y-you can't!"

Laughter. "You should see your face now!" He staggered around as tears obscured his eyes, he was laughing so hard...

__

re-d...

Everyone leapt to their feet expectently as the light over the emergency room entrance shut off suddenly. The doors were jostled open as the medical team wheeled the stretcher down the hallway and around the corner.

"What's..?" Joey looked around for someone to update them, but no one was around. They all ran to catch up with the moving stretcher.

__

........RED...

"I'm sorry, but doctors only right now." The nurse who cracked open the door apologized softly. 

...._red...._

They all hunched down uncomfortably around that white door, waiting tensely for anyone to come out, to tell them something..

Anything...

Wetness on his hand. He jerked his head around to stare wonderingly at it. _I'm..crying?_

He relaxed slightly. They told him this was normal. That he would do this.

__

I'm...crying....

Water flowed seemingly endlessly, so at odds from the sunny day....

Yugi watched it as it ran through long dark locks, then sludged over to the drainpipe by the sidewalk, staining it red as it fell thickly through the grate.

__

Red?

He blinked at his hand, seeing it tremble. It was clean though, no red there. He sighed, relieved.

He ran his fingers over his right hand, smoothing over the red nail polish over and over. When he pulled his hand away, some of the red came with it.

Entranced, he stared at it at it ran towards his wrist, covering his whole hand. Something jarred at him; so distracting. Looking down, he saw the red nail polish dripping off onto the wooden sill hypnotically, with an almost silent plink! accompanying each drop. 

Darkness tinged the edges of his eyes as he stared fearfully at his hands.

The voices roared.

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~00~;; : Um...yeah. Trying to get over this writers block, not sure if I'm succeeding or not.

Yugi's going craaaaaazzzyyyyyy......^_^


	6. Traffic Jam Good on Toast, Even Better o...

Little Brother

Traffic Jam- Good on Toast, Even Better on Bagels!

by ChibiBoko

-------------------------------------------------

__

Poor boy....poor little boy....

Yugi dragged open his eyes, but saw nothing but inky blackness.

__

Such a poor, guilt-laden little boy....

Gasping, he tried to sit up to locate the source of the whispers, but found his body wouldn't respond. It felt unnaturally heavy, as if cement flowed through his veins instead of blood.

__

So alone, so afraid...

__

I'm not!!! Yugi screamed mentally. The blackness surrounding him chuckled.

__

Do not lie. Do not even try...

__

We know you....too well.

His eyes widened.

__

We've always....known you...

__

Little one...have you forgotten?

Little one? Yugi's brow wrinkled. It sounded familiar. Vaguely, he recalled a deep voice...

The darkness surged around him almost jealously, and the recollection faded into nothingness. Yugi groped after it, but it was lost.

__

There is no one else, little one. Just us.

Yugi fought to keep his suddenly tired eyes opened, but was losing.

__

It was always, only us.

We will not leave you.

Yugi fought back against a yawn, but his body was so tired...

__

Nothing else matters. No one else matters.

He felt himself sinking back into the oblivion.

__

Only us.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Hang on Yugi." His grandfather said tearfully.

He clutched the pale hand as the ambulance they rode in wailed down the street.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Yami gritted his teeth as he looked out the passenger window. "Careless."

Kaiba raised an eyebrow at him as he tore the car almost too fast around the corner.

"I should've stayed home with him. I should've-" 

"-Never left him alone for a second in the first place. _I know_," The brunette snapped, "you've said it over and over since Yugi's grandfather called." He spared a glare over at Yami to match the one he was getting. "Now shut up already; I'm trying to drive, and I can't concentrate with your whining."

"And you aren't worried at all." Yami stated.

"Of course; I couldn't care less."

Yami looked over at the speedometer needle indicating their outrageous speed. Kaiba caught the glance.

"I always drive like this." He shifted in his seat.

"Right." Yami snorted, returning his glare out the window.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Yami tapped his fingers irritably against his knee as they waited. And waited. And waited.

"Traffic jam." He growled. "My favorite flavour to spread on toast." He glared at the poor little BMW in front of them. The rear license plate practically cowered.

Kaiba stewed in his seat, occasionally popping his head out the window to get a better vantage of what was happening up ahead. "Not much going on up there." He popped his head back in.

"How can you be so calm about this?" Red eyes snapped at him.

"Why should I be anything else? I don't care what's going on with Yugi; I'm driving you to the hospital only to keep _you_ from getting behind the wheel. The last thing I want is for that old man to have a reason to rip into me again for letting you drive." He shook back unpleasant memories of the last time he took the brunt end of Mr. Motou's temper.

"Right, how could I forget." Yami rolled his eyes. "How could I expect any other reaction when even _Mokuba_ cou-"

Ice disguised as Seto's glare cut him short. Yami sighed exasperatedly. 

"Oh for god's sake, Kaiba, I've seen _Ryou_ more worked up over all this!" Yami exclaimed. He jerked back in his seat as Kaiba's car suddenly roared to life, terrorizing the poor BMW so badly it jerked forward and rammed into the Benz in front of it. Both drivers jumped out of their vehicles and started yelling obscenities at each other and gesturing wildly. The cars all around them soaked in the mild entertainment as they waited for the traffic congestion to end.

Kaiba just shook his head at them as he used the newly-freed space to turn into the side street he had spotted.

"And what makes you think I'd indulge you in that?" He returned. "That'd probably make you feel better about it. I can hear your friends now: Oh look, he's human after all. Maybe he doesn't have ice in his veins like we thought." Yami winced internally as the sarcasm viciously bit at him.

"This is mine alone to deal with, Yami. And I'll do it _my_ way, thank you." Kaiba glared at him. "Why the hell would I give you the satisfaction of seeing me like that? Or anyone for that matter?"

"Your way is-" Yami shook his head. He glanced out the window at a seizure-ridden pedestrian who'd tried to cross in front of them as they ran the red light. "Kaiba, you can't keep doing that." He said after a few moments.

Kaiba raised a sardonic eyebrow. "Doing what?"

"He's gone, Kaiba." Blue eyes flashed dangerously at him as he plowed on. "He's _gone_. Not just to school, not to visit a friend, or the comic book store. He. Is. Not. Coming. Back. And you can't continue acting like he's going to walk in the door any minute." Yami finished as the CEO shifted around in the seat and glared out the windshield. 

Oncoming traffic parted like water before them out of sheer survival instinct.

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~@____@~ : Aiiieeeeee....this is so laaate...

Yami R: *nodnod* Your own fault. 

~00~: But, but...

Yami R: No getting out of this one, girl. You. Are. Late. ^_^ Not to mention lazy. I'll be surprised if anyone _hasn't_ given up on you updating.

T_T: *Sighs*


End file.
